MORENO VALLEY: Proposed warehouse project up for second OK

The Moreno Valley City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 22, will decide whether to approve -- for the second time -- a warehouse project on the cityâs south end across from March Air Reserve Base.

The proposed March Business Center, a 1.5 million-square-foot area east of Heacock Street that would include four warehouses, first was approved in September 2009. The project was rescinded a year later after the Riverside County Superior Court found that the developer, Western RealCo of Newport Beach, hadnât sufficiently addressed concerns about noise that would arise during construction.

A city report indicates the developer prepared an environmental impact report that reviews potential construction noise impacts and other effects.

The 67-acre site has been zoned for industrial development since 1989.

The Moreno Valley Planning Commission last month approved the project, despite concerns expressed by regional air quality officials who say they believe city officials approve warehouse projects without looking for ways to reduce pollution from thousands of diesel trucks that new distribution centers would attract.

In a Dec. 14 letter, the South Coast Air Quality Management District asked city officials to look at the cumulative consequences of several planned warehouse projects and how they affect the risk of cancer and other heath problems. The district, citing correspondence in which city officials contend they have no ability to reduce emissions from trucks, accuses Moreno Valley of not adopting strategies other Southern California communities use to cut pollution from trucks.

City officials have disagreed with the districtâs assessment and said it unfairly singled out Moreno Valley.

Residents for a Livable Moreno Valley, a nonprofit residentsâ organization, filed the lawsuit that stopped March Business Center three years ago. It and the Sierra Club have filed at least five lawsuits to stop warehouse projects in Moreno Valley.

Council members also are to discuss the need for a 45-moritorium to prevent a rush for developers to get projects entitled before a proposed east side development strategy is approved. Earlier this month, council members approved spending $50,000 to hire a consultant who would determine and document the âhighest and best useâ for undeveloped and underdeveloped land on the city's east side.

The proposed development strategy, known as the Highway 60 overlay, would stretch between Nason and Theodore streets from about Hemlock Avenue to around Fir and Eucalyptus avenues.

Officials have said the report would be a detailed guide to future development in that area and would state council-preferred land uses. It would not include properties with approved and entitled development projects, city staff has said.

Residents would get at least one opportunity to comment on the document before it would be brought to the council for approval, staff has said.

Residents have said they think such a plan, if approved, would be developed at city expense and used to circumvent the cityâs general plan and public input. It would allow developers to build warehouses without waiting for approvals such as environmental impact reports and zoning changes, they have said.

Mayor Tom Owings has said the overlay could better regulate development, including warehouses, and protect land north of the freeway. This is the only area left in the city for what he described as âexecutive housing.â

Council members also will consider holding a second study session each month. Study sessions currently are scheduled at 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. They have not been televised.

A city report states that council members propose holding a second study on the first Tuesday of the month. The study sessions would be held at 3 p.m. and be televised, according to the report.

Follow Lora Hines on Twitter: @LoraHines and online at http://blog.pe.com/moreno-valley/

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